The real world of fishing

Last week I promised to give you some more of the details about my new TV show, Going Ike. So, here goes…

As I said it’s different than anything else out there. It isn’t a show about catching a lot of fish, and it isn’t about filming for several days and then showing you the handful of big ones I caught. It’s angler driven and it’s about the real-world of fishing. It’ll be a true reality show, not the fake kind that you’re used to watching.

The idea started when I realized that a lot of guys were asking me why I didn’t come to their lake. I realized that I didn’t have a good answer for them. The more I thought about it the more I realized there was a huge potential in their questions. Based on that, we decided to do something with the angler making the decision.

First, we’ll develop a system where you — yes, I mean you — can audition your lake or river and for your favorite species of fish. The thing is, though, I won’t be the one to pick where we go and with whom. I don’t want my ideas and prejudices to affect anything. The production crew will make the call.

Even better, I’ll not know where I’m going until I’m actually driving down the highway. My information will be limited. I’ll be doing what most of you guys do — fishing as best I can and hoping for a good day. The idea is to make this a real-world learning experience, something that will teach us all something about the sport we love so much.

The learning aspect of the show will be called, Cracking the Code. That name speaks for itself. You’ll get to watch as I try to put things together. You’ll see my mistakes and screw ups as well as my successes. That’s important in my estimation.

Far too often fishing shows make us (professionals) look like we launch our boat and then go figure things out before the first commercial break. It’s like we know all the answers or that we completely understand what makes fish do what they do. We don’t. This show will make that clear. You’ll see that for yourself.

Of course, everyone has to have a way to measure success. Ours will be twofold. First, we’ll have a good time. That’s a given. Second, we’ll let the angler set our goals. Then, it’ll be my challenge to meet, or exceed, those goals. There’s no doubt there’ll be some days when I look like a genius. But, there’ll also be days when I play the part of the goat. That’s the idea behind this thing. That’s fishing.

Next weekend is Christmas. I want everyone to have a good time and not worry about how many fish they catch or how well Santa Claus treats them. Spend the time you have with your family and loved ones. Let’s all appreciate what really matters in this life.